PlayStation 4’s 5.50 firmware update brings custom wallpapers via USB, play time management, and more

PlayStation 4’s 5.50 firmware update is available in beta today, and it’s bringing a number of improvements to the system.

PlayStation 4’s 5.50 firmware update is available in beta today, and it’s bringing a number of improvements to the system.

Most notably, you will soon be able to add custom wallpapers via USB. There’s no shortage of themes and backgrounds on the PlayStation Store, but if you want to see a cute picture of your fluffy puppy or a family photo in the background of your PS4, that will soon be an option, too.

Speaking of families, Play Time Management is another key addition in the update. This will give you the ability to apply playtime restrictions to make sure that a child (or overzealous adult) is only able to play for a set amount of time or within playable hours.

Notifications via Play Time Management will be sent when time is ticking down, and account managers can choose to automatically log the account out once the playtime is over.

A new Supersampling Mode for PS4 Pro’s will enable HDTV’s to enjoy an enhanced visual mode while playing certain PS4 games that don’t have this ability inherently.

“With supersampling mode, games that render to a higher resolution when connected to a 4K TV will downscale to match the HDTV–allowing PS4 Pro owners to leverage the benefits of an image clarity boost even if they don’t own a 4K TV,” PlayStation said.

There’s no official date for the full release of 5.50, but it should be within a few weeks once the beta is tested successfully.